1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a display control apparatus, a display control method, and a program. More particularly, the invention relates to a display control apparatus, a display control method, and a program for associating the items represented by icons and assigned to one of plug-ins with a plurality of categories.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recent years have witnessed extensive marketing of consumer electronic appliances each capable of handling a variety of media through the use of matching functions. These functions include one that receives broadcast programs, records the received programs onto an internal HDD (hard disk drive) and reproduces them therefrom; one that reproduces music and still images from the HDD; one that reproduces music and still images from a memory card inserted into a slot on the appliance enclosure; and one that carries out programs retrieved from a DVD (digital versatile disc) to let users play games. Among the electronic appliances, there exist some that provide a menu screen showing category-specific icons arrayed laterally allowing the user to select any one of the matching functions, the menu screen further showing a vertical array of items subsumed under the currently selected category. One such apparatus is disclosed illustratively in “SONY WEGA: EXPERIENCE! XMB” (looked up on the Internet on Aug. 31, 2005, at http:/www.sony.jp/products/Consumer/wega/xmb/index.html).
The categories into which to classify items illustratively include: “Video” for recording programs and reproducing the recorded programs; “Photo” for reproducing still images; “Music” for reproducing music; and “Games” for letting the user play video games.
The display of the above type of menu screen is brought about by an application program which controls the display of an entire menu screen and which incorporates plug-ins for implementing functions and for displaying icons representative of these functions.
For example, if the category of “Video” is selected, the icons representing devices that record programs are displayed on the menu screen by the plug-in that carries out the recording of programs or reproduction of recorded programs.